Exercise Challenge Test in 3-6 Years Old Asthmatic Children

Detailed Summary

Vigorous exercise is known to cause transient bronchoconstriction in school children with asthma, many of whom initially have normal lung function at rest. The presence and extent of this phenomena in early childhood is difficult to recognize, because exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) may not limit the child's performance and the child may fail to notice the symptoms until taking part in organized or competitive sport. Conversely, as children do participate in vigorous activities all day long, severe EIB may provoke a crucial disabling condition in the child. In school children the exercise challenge test (ECT) is a well standardized test and is used to make a diagnosis of asthma because it is able to discriminate between asthma and other chronic breathing illnesses of childhood and is also used to determine the effectiveness and optimal dosages of medications prescribed to prevent EIB. The test includes is a controlled run on a motor-driven treadmill followed by scheduled multiple spirometry maneuvers. This procedure was never been tested and may not be suitable for the preschool age. In this study we assumed that a free-run test which combined with measurements of duplicate spirometry-sets would be the most convenient way to test young children. The aims of this study are a) to examine the feasibility of a free-run protocol (according to the ATS/ERS recomendations), followed by duplicate spirometry measurements in early childhood. b) to explore the existence of exercise induced bronchoconstriction in young children (age 3-6 years old) with respiratory symptoms.

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